AUSTIN — Democrat Leticia Van de Putte wants to put rumors to rest: she has absolutely no intention of running for mayor of San Antonio come next year.

Van de Putte, a long-time state senator from San Antonio, attempted again on Tuesday to put to bed any chatter that she’s eyeing a run for mayor as a backup plan if her long-shot bid for lieutenant governor against Republican Dan Patrick doesn’t pan out.

“Under no circumstance will I be running for mayor of San Antonio,” she said in a short interview. “I will be in the Senate come January 2015.”

Former mayor Julián Castro’s recent departure to take an Obama cabinet position has left the door open for a field of local candidates, including state Rep. Michael Villarreal of San Antonio, who has announced his intention to pursue the position.

“I want to make it clear that Leticia will not be one of those candidates,” she said.

San Antonio Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff first fanned the flames of a potential Van de Putte run for mayor in a piece last month highlighting how the senator’s name was being tossed around by local politicos. The column also carried a firm dismissal from Van de Putte.

But that apparently did little to persuade some gossip hounds, Van de Putte said, specifically noting that she’s heard murmurs out of San Antonio occasionally and also has had folks mention to her informally that “lobbyists in Austin” have broached the subject.

“I can only imagine if that’s Dan Patrick’s newest ploy to get people really not interested my campaign,” she said, admittedly drawing on pure speculation about who could be dropping whispers into the ears of the Austin crowd. “I have no idea if it’s coming from the camp that supports Dan Patrick. There’s no point either way because my focus will be on the Legislature and our responsibilities in 2015.”